The scale consists of 28 scored anxiety items (Items 1 to 28) that ask parents to report on the frequency of which an item is true for their child. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from 0 'not at all' to 5 'very often true'.

Question 29 is an open-ended, non-scored item relating to the child's experience of a traumatic event. This is followed by 5 items relating to whether the child exhibits behaviour indicative of post-traumatic stress reactions following the trauma. These items are not included in the scoring and are for clinical interest only.

The 28 anxiety items provide an overall measure of anxiety, in addition to scores on six sub-scales each tapping a specific aspect of child anxiety, namely generalized anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, physical injury fears and separation anxiety.

Administration

The scale is completed by asking the parent to follow the instructions on the printed form. The parent is asked to rate on a five-point scale from 0 'not at all' to 4 'very often true' - how often each of the items is true for their child. There is no set time period over which the judgement has to be made. The response is made by circling the appropriate word.